Semiconductor packaging and electronic assembly solutions provider Kulicke & Soffa (K&S) has expanded its advanced packaging presence with the acquisition of privately held Dutch packaging company Liteq.
Financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
Liteq was established in 2014, Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The company developed a step-and-repeat tool that serves a range of advanced packaging lithography.
Liteq has a dense concentration of technology-centric customers. The company offers modular-i-line steppers that use a laser light source, which is contrary to the commonly used mercury-vapour lamp sources.
This approach is claimed to provide a very low cost of ownership to serve existing and next-generation product requirements of advanced packaging processes including system-in-package, fan-out wafer level packaging, through-silicon-via in addition to traditional flip-chip.
The technologies developed by Liteq was possible, thanks to its close cooperation with technology, financial and developmental organisations in Netherlands such as including ASML Netherlands BV, Beltec Holding BV, the Brabant Development Agency (BOM), Sioux, Random Capital BV and Torrente BV.
Kulicke & Soffa has mentioned a study conducted by VLSI research, which estimates that by 2021, advanced packaging lithography market can grow to $296m from the present $186m. And, this presents an opportunity to K&S for additional long-term growth and to expand its offerings within the market. The company claims to have developed several other packaging related tools, over the years.
Kulicke & Soffa president and CEO Fusen Chen said: “We are very pleased to welcome Liteq’s employees, customers and supply chain partners into the K&S family.
“This highly complementary investment emphasizes our strategic and opportunistic capital deployment approach by further extending the Company’s presence, strength, and value proposition within advanced packaging."
Liteq CEO Gerrit van der Beek said: "Liteq has tremendous growth potential and collectively we are much better positioned to provide innovative solutions and services addressing the advanced packaging market.
“Leveraging on the extensive sales and distribution network; strong customer base and proven interconnect expertise of K&S, in addition to the committed support from our business partners, we are well positioned to address the industry’s next set of challenges."